Ok so my 5th gear was acting weird and then it got really cold and when i turn on my car my shifter wouldn't move until the car warms up really good but i couldnt shift into 5th gear still and then i forced it in and hear like a pop or snap sound and now 1st 3rd and 5th feel mushy and sometimes 5th gear doesnt exist but 2nd 4th and reverse are perfectly fine

 

When it was really cold last winter the cobalt wouldn't want to shift into gear until it warmed up. Does it drive normal once it's warmed up?

 

It did drive normal after it warmed up but ever since i forced it into 5th and heard the noise like i said 1st 3rd 5th are like mashed potatoes but 2nd 4th reverse are good

 

In the morning or when it's cold and my transis cold, it's hard to get into 3rd and 5th. But only for the first try.

 

Sounds like you may have frozen shifter cables? If its only the top gears

 

yep that's what it was. First too I think.

 

Your shifter cables were frozen, then you damaged the shifter cable endlinks. You need new shifter cable endlinks and next time dont man handle the stuck shifter. Like you said, you have to let the car warm up. I suggest when you know its going to be cold, leave the car parked in neutral.

I have had this happen many a times. Im not sure if it helps but Ive taken the cup holder out to let the warm air from the heater have better access. I dont know exactly where the cables are frozen but I know this combined with sticking my hand in there and holding the cables (better idea would be a blow dryer or heat gun) speeds up the process of breaking the cables free. Once they start moving sluggishly, I normally slowly row through all the gears. The friction finishes the job.

 

Punch him in the face if he giving you problems

 

So on the way to work i slowly try to shift into 5th gear and the car gave me a big middle finger and i cant put the car in any gear the shifter is just dangling so i take it apart and those two peices that connect the black cup is not connected to the white ball joint, so itried to do a ghetto fix with tape and zipties and then the black cup completely ripped apart so im trying to find online where i can buy that peice or if there is upgraded one that is not made of plastic and rubber

 

Buy a new shifter from OTTP or BPS.

Order new base bushing and cable clamp.

Hell you already know how to put in a new one because you have the old one apart.

Replacing the stock shifter was much easier than I thought.

 

I'm on my 3rd set of shifter cables and they are starting to freeze this year too. I have been using something similar to this to help warm them up. Really makes a difference. I just leave it sitting on top of the cables and takes couple of minutes to free them up. Better than warming up the car 20 minutes just so I can drive it. Pain in the @ss either way.

 

I heard that moving south greatly helps with this problem.

Seriously though. I noticed my cables had a bitch of surface rust on them when I installed the new shifter. Which tells me they are getting moist

I lubed them with with grease to try and keep them from getting moisture. Haven't frozen yet this winter.

Has only bee down to 20 though.

 

So this is a fairly common issue. I had it happen to me this morning. It did not want to go in to 5th, I didn't try to force it. I was also doing some spirited driving. Looked at the cables at lunch, and they have some spots on them